I-i-i-t’s Copyedit Time: Rocking On.

So on Monday, I had a little tongue-in-cheek fun about it being copyedit time.

Now for my first update, which is to say that as of last night I was 213 pages in and so far it’s actually going fairly smoothly.

With such a big book, coming on top of two preceding big books, of course there are always gnarly moments. You know, the sort where you go: “Hang on, how did we style that in The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost?” Italics, italics with quotes, capitals, lower case?

Plus deciding when archaic terminology is OK, because it fits a medieval era-type Epic Fantasy, e.g. serjeant for a tourney official, or cantrip as a type of magic, and when it’s too out there. Actually, there haven’t been any out there examples yet, because I tend to weed them out during the earlier edit phases.

But you just never know, something untoward could always have slipped through, which is the whole point of the copyedit exercise.

And although I like to have my wee joke about delinquent authors and copyeditorial bludgeons, the truth is that I’m very committed to the process because I know that stylistic consistency, as well as getting that grammar, spelling,and basic continuity right, is something that should be invisible to a reader while ensuring the reading experience is an enjoyable and rewarding one.

So onwards for now, although I shall file more dispatches from the copyedit front from time to time over the next fortnight. 😉

Comments

Marion:

Interesting to see behind the scenes, Helen. Glad it’s going smoothly, as it can be an exhausting process.

"THE HEIR OF NIGHT by Helen Lowe is a richly told tale of strange magic, dark treachery and conflicting loyalties, set in a well realized world."--Robin Hobb

Thornspell

Jacket art by Antonio Javier Caparo

Thornspell is my first novel and is published by Knopf (Random House Children's Books, USA). It won the Sir Julius Vogel Award 2009 for Best Novel: Young Adult and was a Storylines Childrens' Literature Trust Notable Book 2009.